California’s governor officially vetoed two major bills that proposed regulations for heavy-duty autonomous vehicles in the state.
On September 27, Governor Gavin Newsom simultaneously vetoed AB-2286, which would have required all heavy-duty autonomous vehicles to have a human safety operator physically present, and AB-3061, which would have introduced a suite of operational reporting requirements.
California is a major development nexus for heavy-duty vehicle technologies. The veto cements the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ latest draft regulations as the central regulation for heavy-duty AVs going forward.
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Another bill bites the dust
California’s legislature has been pushing for an effective heavy-duty autonomous vehicle ban for over a year now.
The legislature almost unanimously approved two bills that would have required a human operator until at least 2030: one in September 2023, which Newsom quickly vetoed, and AB-2286 in September 2024, which was nearly identical to the previous year’s bill.
With Newsom’s latest veto, all three proposed heavy-duty AV bills have failed to become law.
The state’s Senate and Assembly passed all three bills with such an overwhelming majority that a veto would seem likely. The Senate and Assembly passed AB-2286 with 32-3 and 70-1, and passed AB-3061 with 31-7 and 65-4, respectively.
However, California’s legislature is uniquely opposed to overriding its governor's vetoes. The legislature has not tried a gubernatorial veto override in over 40 years.
Why did Newsom veto these bills?
In his September 27 veto messages, Newsom explained that he vetoed the bills because the California Department of Motor Vehicles is already working on regulations for heavy-duty AVs.
